MMR: Prague must eliminate errors from the building regulations by Monday

Prague - Prague has until Monday to rectify errors in the Prague building regulations that are in conflict with the building law. If it fails to do so, the Ministry for Regional Development (MMR) will have to suspend the validity of the regulations. This follows from the statement of the minister, which was provided to ČTK today by MMR spokesperson Karel Dlabač. Mayor Adriana Krnáčová conveyed through spokesperson Jiří Wolf that the city council will address the amendment of the disputed regulations on Tuesday.
    The Prague building regulations, which are the implementing regulations for the building law, came into effect in October. They define the conditions under which construction can occur in the capital. Based on them, new standalone billboards will not be allowed, and once the current building permits expire, companies will have to remove the enormous advertising billboards and areas. This part of the regulations has sparked intense debate in recent months.
    Minister for Regional Development Karla Šlechtová stated in a press release today that the MMR has been alerting Prague to the deficiencies in the regulations for a long time and has been providing maximum cooperation to the capital. So far, there have reportedly been three meetings on this topic, and next week Šlechtová will meet with Krnáčová. According to Šlechtová, the ministry sent a call for correction in October, with the sixty-day statutory deadline expiring on December 15.
    If the city hall fails to resolve the dispute, the law on the capital city of Prague gives the ministry no other option but to suspend the effectiveness of the Prague building regulations without unnecessary delay after the deadline for correction has passed. "The only option for Prague to avoid suspension of effectiveness is to immediately adopt a regulation amendment that would rectify the identified deficiencies and eliminate conflicts with the law," the minister stated.
    Krnáčová has repeatedly stated that Prague needs building regulations. According to her, Deputy Matěj Stropnický from the Trojkoalice is responsible for negotiations with the MMR and for preparing the amendment. However, the mayor also confirmed without further comment the information from ČTK that she met on Monday with the head of BigBoard, Richard Fuxa, who is requesting the repeal of the regulations.
    Stropnický did not want to comment on the negotiations today. Some politicians from the Trojkoalice, which governs Prague along with ANO and ČSSD, according to information from ČTK, insist on preserving the regulations to such an extent that they associate them with discussions about the future of the Prague coalition.
    Due to the building regulations, the billboard company launched a strong media campaign before this year's elections, targeting the advocate of the regulations, former mayor Tomáš Hudeček. If the regulations are not repealed, the state risks arbitration. In contrast, the new building regulations have been welcomed by the professional community and developers.
    Television Nova reported today that Hudeček is facing a criminal complaint due to the regulations. According to him, he, along with the architect of the capital, Pavel Hnilička, and the deputy minister for regional development, Ondřej Votruba, allegedly committed the crime of abuse of power of a public official. They allegedly pushed the regulations through in a non-standard manner.